Green Haired King
by Sexy Blaziken Girl
Summary: Mysterious boys, strange organizations, and love all await Hilda and her two friends when they leave Nuvema Town for the first time with their new Pokemon. *Pokemon X Pokemon, Trainer X Trainer, Trainer X Pokemon, could become lemon*
1. An Adventure

I was sitting on my bed, nervous out of my skull, while Cheren sat at my computer, looking perfectly calm and reading a Trainer's Handbook. Bianca was late, which meant we couldn't open the package in the middle of the room.

There was a flurry of footsteps outside the door, and Bianca ran in, hair messed up and grinning.

"Hi guys, sorry I took so long. Where are the Pokémon? Ooh, is that them?" We all went over to the box. I tore open the packaging to reveal three Pokeballs, each with a different symbol on them. I looked at my friends.

"I say we close our eyes and grab a random one." Cheren and Bianca nodded in unison, and we all faced the box again. I shut my eyes and started counting.

"Three, two, one...grab!" My hand plunged in, brushing someone's fingers, and grabbing the closest Pokeball. We all opened our eyes and looked down. I'd picked the one with the fire symbol. We all opened our Pokeballs. Out of mine burst the Fire Pig Pokémon, Tepig, with a huge grin on his face, ready to go. Oshawott, the Sea Otter Pokémon, was hugging Cheren, much to his amusement. Bianca had the Grass Snake Pokémon, Snivy, which she seemed happy about. The little guy was sitting on her shoulders.

"Gender check." I raised an eyebrow at Cheren, but looked anyway. My little Pokémon was a boy, and so too was Bianca's. Cheren somehow got a female Oshawott, which was strange, considering all three of these Pokémon were usually male. I shrugged and looked down at my little Pokémon, who was happily blowing fire out of his nostrils.

"I think I'll call you...Nuri. Do you like that, boy?" The Tepig snuggled up against my chin, which I took as a yes. Beside me, Bianca was running through names.

"Grassy, Snake, Hiss, Leaf, um...oh, I can't think of any good names!" I walked over and looked at the little Pokémon, who seemed a bit smug and sure of himself to me.

"How about Vireo? It means green." Bianca gave me a smile and squeezed the newly named Pokémon to her chest. He seemed happy with the name, but not so much the squeezing.

Cheren had already picked a name for his: Nixie. She was already learning to fight, standing in an attacking stance and swinging her shell-blades.

"Hey, Hilda, want to battle?" Bianca was giving me a huge grin, Vireo curled around her neck. I shrugged and put down Nuri. He started blowing out fire in larger quantities, Vireo cowering behind his trainer. Bianca patiently set him down in front of Nuri, and then it was battling time.

"Nuri, Tackle!"

"Vireo, Leer!" The Snivy gave my Pokémon an evil glare, but Tepig just ran forward and slammed into him, letting out a battle cry. Vireo fell backwards, stunned.

"Nuri, Tail Whip!" My Pokémon waggled its tail, looking as sweet as could be, which made Vireo pause before he attacked. Nuri fell back, but was up straight away and used Tackle without being told to. Within seconds, the battle was won and I was petting Nuri for being such a good little battler, while Bianca cradled the fainted Vireo in her arms.

Cheren laid a hand on each of our Pokémon and muttered something. Suddenly, Vireo was up again, going up to what appeared to be his favourite perch, Bianca's shoulders, and Nuri was more energetic.

"Okay, now it's my turn. Hilda, you're going down!" I set Nuri down in front of me, while Nixie ran over, falling into a battle stance.

"Nuri, Tail Whip!" Nuri waggled his tail, and something changed in Nixie's eyes. Cheren just scoffed.

"Nixie, Tail Whip." Nixie shook her tail, and Nuri giggled. I didn't realise Pokémon _could_ giggle.

"Okay, now we get serious. Nuri, Tackle!" Nuri slammed into Nixie, sending her crashing into the wall. It was a critical hit, but not quite enough to make her faint.

"Nixie, Tail Whip again!" Nixie shook off her dazedness, and did her little tail shake again, making Nuri laugh.

"Nuri, Tackle! Let's finish this!" Nuri head-butted Nixie, sending her into the ground. She was down for the count.

I gave Nuri a hug, and handed him over to Cheren for healing. Then, by reflex, I glanced around and cursed. The room was in shambles, my favourite poster of Skyla torn down, and my bed sheets ruined.

"Uh oh. Um, Cheren..." My sentence was interrupted by my mom.

"Hilda, Professor Juniper wants to see you three." Cheren looked around and swallowed nervously, putting Nixie down on the ground next to him". Um, what's your mom going to think about this room?"

As if her name had summoned her, Mom was suddenly standing in my doorway. "Oh dear..."

I gulped and shrugged in apology. "We didn't know battling did this much damage. Sorry, Mom." Mom shook her head and smiled.

"It's alright, dear. Just remember to have the rest of your battles outside. Now, go and see Professor Juniper, she's waiting for you. I'll clean up." I grinned, grabbed my bag, and ran out, Cheren and Bianca close behind.

"Wow, we've got real Pokémon! Pokémon we can battle with, and dress up, and raise, and enter in contests...we might even be Gym Leaders one day!" Yep, Bianca was excited.

"Well, I have a goal. Pokémon Champion. I'm going to be the best in this region! What about you, Hilda?" I shrugged at Cheren.

"I don't know, really. I just want to be with Pokémon. They're nice to be around, aren't you, Nuri?" He curled up into my chest, warming me up and making me giggle.

Cheren gave me a faintly amused look before we reached Professor Juniper's door. He knocked hesitantly.

"Come in, you three." We looked at each other and gulped, before Cheren went in, Bianca and I following.

Professor Juniper was standing in the middle of the room, hair a little messed up and her coat hanging open. She smiled at us.

"Hello. I was just taking care of something. So, how do you like your new Pokémon?"

We replied in unison, "We like them a lot, Professor." Professor Juniper smiled at us.

"Now, I have got another motive for giving you those little guys. You see, I study Pokémon for a living." I stifled a groan. I'd heard this many a time on the television. "Over the years, I've discovered that I need help finding out about all of the Pokémon in this world. And that's where you guys come in. Cheren, Bianca, Hilda, would you like to help me fill the Pokedex pages?" Bianca screamed with joy and started jumping up and down, smiling widely. I nodded, barely containing my own grin. Cheren just stood there coolly and nodded.

"Very good. Now, it's time for you to begin your own Pokémon journey!" We grinned at each other and went to go out the door, but just as we reached it, Professor Juniper shouted, "Wait!"

I turned around. "Yes, Professor Juniper?"

"Tell your parents that you're leaving. You should make sure they're okay with it. Bye now!" Cheren and Bianca went out, but I paused, spotting something on the desk. I went over and picked it up. It was a movie called 'Golem Gets Rock-Hard'.

"Eugh. Is this..." Professor Juniper came back out and saw me holding the movie. "Oh, oh dear. Please, give me that." I handed over the movie to Professor Juniper, who was looking rather distressed.

"Um, let's pretend this never happened, alright? Thank you." Professor Juniper went back into the side room, leaving me very confused and slightly sickened.

I shrugged and went back out where Cheren and Bianca were waiting. "What took you so long, Hilda?" I shrugged.

"Professor Juniper wanted to see me. She just told me to be careful with this little guy. He's got a Hasty Nature, so he's probably going to rush into things a bit." Cheren scoffed.

"I could have told you that. It was in the manual we got with them. Didn't you guys read that?" He saw our puzzled looks and sighed, pulling out a booklet. Cheren opened it and began to read.

"These three Pokémon have different Natures. Tepig has a Hasty Nature, meaning he has a boosted Speed and decreased Defense. Oshawott has a Calm Nature, giving her increased Special Defense and less Attack stats. Snivy has a Sassy Nature, so he has more Special Defense and less Speed. Use these to your advantage." Cheren closed the book and gave me a cocky smile. "See? Easy. Now let's go see our parents."

We split at my doorway, Cheren going to the left and Bianca the right.

"Meet you on Route 1 in ten minutes!" Cheren and Bianca shouted back, "Okay!" and went into their houses. I turned around and went inside, calling out to Mom.

"Hey sweetie, you're home already? I thought Professor Juniper would want you for longer." I remembered the movie and repressed a shudder.

"No, she sent us away rather quickly. Um, we need to talk." Mom sighed and sat down on one of the ottomans, patting the one next to her. I sat down.

"I knew this would happen one day. Professor Juniper's been hinting for years that you three would be perfect for her Pokedex program. Every region does it, but you three are the first here. So, you're going to be heading off soon, right?" I smiled sadly.

"Yeah, probably. You're the best mom ever, you know that? Even without Dad being here, I've had the best childhood ever." Mom wiped away a tear and reached behind her, pulling out a box from behind her.

"These are Running Shoes. These will help you get to new places faster, and there's going to be so many new places. Maybe one day, I'll go on my own journey and come find you. You be safe now, and make sure you come back every now and again to show me you're safe." I was getting teary now, wiping at my eyes.

"Thanks, Mom. I promise I'll come back every now and again. Right, Nuri?" Nuri snorted happily, blowing out a little fire. He went over and rubbed into Mom, making her smile.

"Oh, have fun, you little guy. Make my daughter proud, and serve her well." I was almost crying now, tears blinding me as I pulled on the shoes. Nuri came back over to me, burying his head in my chest. I patted his head, smiling.

"Mom, I love you, so much. I'm going to miss you more than anything. I'll call you every time I get to a new town." Mom was sobbing now, but smiling at the same time. I looked at her, and made a snap decision. I ran over and hugged her, sobbing into her shoulder. Mom made a sound of surprise, but soon we were hugging and sobbing, Nuri squealing as he was crushed between us. I laughed and moved back, letting Nuri fall out, breathing heavily.

"Bye Mom. I'll see you again one day, I promise. Don't forget that." I gave her one last hug before I turned around and went out the door, Nuri walking beside me.

Cheren was waiting at the door, looking a little amused. "Well, we're off, aren't we? But where's - "

"_NO!"_ My head snapped towards the sound, coming from Bianca's house. We shared a glance and ran over just in time to see Bianca run out the door, hat slanted to the side and face flushed with rage.

"Dad, I'm going, whether you like it or not!" She joined us, straightening her hat. "C'mon guys, we're leaving right now!" I shrugged at Cheren and followed Bianca, who was storming to the entrance of the town. She paused at the start of Route 1, waiting for us. Cheren went ahead, while I took one last look at my hometown. With an almost symbolic air, I waved solemnly and walked over to Cheren and Bianca.

"Okay guys, who's going first?" My question was answered when Bianca tugged us all over at the same time, meaning we started in the exact same second. A warm feeling started growing in my heart. I looked at my friends, laughing.

"We did it! We're on a Pokémon journey! Now what do we do?" A voice from behind us answered the question.

"Why, catch some Pokémon, of course!" I turned around and saw Professor Juniper, looking much more tidy this time, running towards us. She handed us each five Pokeballs without a word, then looked into each of our eyes.

"Well, this is the beginning of a grand adventure. Have fun, don't forget your friends, and experience all that there is in this world!" Professor Juniper turned around and walked away, leaving us standing there with Pokeballs in hand. Cheren broke the silence first.

"She's a little...kooky, isn't she? Oh well, she gave us Pokeballs. I say we have a competition. Who can catch the most Pokémon?" Bianca started jumping up and down again, laughing in joy. I merely raised an eyebrow at Cheren.

"I'll do it." Bianca stopped bouncing. "Me too!" Cheren grinned. "Well, that's settled. As soon as we reach the next town, we see how many each of us have caught, and whoever has the most then wins! Ready, set...go!" Cheren ran off, closely followed by Bianca. I shrugged and stepped into the grass, looking around. Nuri was right beside me.

All of the sudden, a Lillipup turned up, barking at me. I grabbed a Pokeball to have it ready.

"Nuri, Tackle!" Nuri bumped into the Puppy Pokémon, making it stumble. It glared at Nuri, making my Pokémon flinch. Nuri used Tackle again, without me telling him to. The Lillipup stumbled, but didn't faint. Instead, it used Leer again. I held Nuri back, and threw the Pokeball.

One shake, two shakes, three shakes..."Yes!" I checked my Pokedex. Lillipup was automatically registered, listing it. I grinned at it and released the Pokémon from its ball. It leapt up and yapped, seemingly very happy to be there with me. I rubbed its head and did a gender check. This Lillipup was a girl.

"I'm going to call you...Yaps. Do you like that?" She yapped again, which I took as a yes. I put her back in the ball and kept walking. Soon enough, another Pokémon popped up, a Patrat this time. Nuri easily weakened it, allowing me to catch it. This one was male. I nicknamed it Sentry and put it away.

"Hey, what's that?" There was a patch of rustling grass. I walked over and peered in, revealing a pink Pokémon. It giggled at me and mock-growled. I put down Nuri.

My Pokémon shocked me by firing embers out of its nose, hitting the Pokémon. It paused, slowing down, and I saw it was weak enough to catch. I threw the Pokeball and captured it, checking the Pokedex straight away. I'd caught an Audino. Releasing it, I saw it was female. I thought for a bit, then settled on Rose for her name. She giggled, then looked at Nuri.

"Oh, this is Nuri. Why are you - " I realised they were talking.

Below Hilda, Rose and I were chatting.

"So, your name's Nuri? I like that?" i blushed, not noticeably though, and grinned.

"Your name is pretty too. So, we've got Hilda as a Trainer. I think she's really cool." Rose laughed, pointing at her feelers, which curled from her ears.

"You think she's more than 'cool'. With these, I can read your feelings. You have a thing for your Trainer, don't you?" I blushed even more, my cheeks becoming coloured.

"Um...I might...yeah, I do. Is that weird?" Rose grinned again.

"Oh, no, in fact, in some places it's the norm. I've heard from visiting Trainer's Pokémon that there are ancient tales where Pokémon and Trainers were married." Nuri blinked in shock.

"Wow. Oh hey, I think Hilda wants to go. I'll see you later!" Rose grinned and let herself be tapped back into the ball, thinking to herself.

Oh Nuri, just you wait. Just you wait.

I could see Accumula Town from where I stood. I could also see Cheren and Bianca. I ran over, Nuri at my heels, and stopped in front of my friends.

"Hey guys, how'd you go?" Cheren looked at Nixie, who seemed very tired. "Well, she did her best, but we only got two Pokémon. Bianca, how did you go?" Bianca played with her hat, looking embarrassed.

"Um, I only caught one. They were all really strong." I smiled at her.

"Don't worry, one day you'll be stronger than them. I caught three, so I guess I win." Cheren gave me an evil glare before looking over somewhere in the town.

"Hey, what's that?" I looked over and saw a gathering of people. "Let's go check it out. It could be someone famous!" Cheren paused, quickly grabbing my arm and Bianca's. I saw a thin sheet of blue slide over my body to concentrate in my Pokeballs. Nuri was also covered. Cheren released us, blushing, as was Bianca. "There, your Pokémon are healed, and so are mine. It works better in large groups. Now, let's go over and see what's happening!"

We went over to the crowd, and saw they were surrounding a small group of eight people, seven of them wearing knight's gear and carrying flags, and the last wearing thick robes. He had green hair and carried a cane, but what made the most impression was the sheer aura of power radiating from him. Everybody seemed entranced by this man.

He stepped up to a lectern one of the knights had set up, and began to speak in a deep, almost soothing voice.

"Hello, residents of Accumula Town. I am Ghetsis, representing Team Plasma. I'm sure you've heard about other organizations, like Team Rocket, Team Galactic, and others. First, I must assure you we are not like them. Our motives are entirely different. These groups planned to enslave Pokémon. We..." He looked around for dramatic emphasis, seeming to focus on us. "We plan to release all Pokémon."

I gasped. "What?!" Everyone was murmuring things to their neighbours. Ghetsis coughed, drawing all attention back to him.

"It seems drastic, I realise that. But take a minute to think about it. Those who call themselves Pokémon Trainers ruin their natural homes by walking in tall grass, before kidnapping - yes, it is true - poor, innocent creatures to battle to the point of exhaustion for what? Bragging rights? Money? I - I mean, Team Plasma, will not have it!" Ghetsis slammed the top of the lectern with his hand. "Pokémon would be infinitely better without human interference. Let us fight our own battles, and leave the Pokémon alone!" And with that, the knights packed up the lectern, and they walked away, passing through the crowd as they did. With much muttering, everyone left, except us.

Cheren looked at both of us. "It's not true...right? Our Pokémon grow to care for us...it's not slavery." Bianca adjusted her hat, looking sad.

"Well, we can't tell if it is, can we? I mean, we speak different languages. It's impossible." A cough interrupted us. I turned and saw a boy with long , flowing green hair, bound back in a loose ponytail, with a black and white cap on his head. He was wearing a white shirt over a black one, grey pants, and green sneakers. The boy was wearing many bracelets, and a pendant that appeared to be a sphere with two arcs perpendicular to each other, one blue and one yellow. Connected by a chain to his waist was some sort of cube, a puzzle, maybe.

"I am sorry to interrupt, but your conversation...intrigued me. You may not be able to understand your Pokémon, but I can. Please, send them over to me." Cheren gave him a strange look.

"I don't trust you. We don't even know your name. Why would we give you our Pokémon? Plus, I can barely understand you. You talk way too fast." The boy sighed in exasperation.

"Okay, I will talk slower. My name is N. That is my real name, so do not look at me like that. I have the ability to talk to Pokémon, which means I can tell what your Pokémon truly think of you. Please, hand them over." Cheren and Bianca shared a glance with me. I was confused and slightly scared, but Nuri made my decision for me, and ran over to N. Nixie and Vireo soon followed, the grass-type scampering up to N's shoulder, where he began talking rapidly. Nuri and Nixie waited until N picked them up to begin talking. I had no idea what they were saying, but it seemed important.

I'd sensed that N was a good person, so I'd ran away from Hilda to talk to him. Nixie and Vireo had followed me, and now we were chatting.

"So, why can you talk to us?" N gave Vireo a stern look.

"That's my secret. I can't share everything, can I? I didn't realise that Pokémon owned by Trainers were so forward." I put my paws on his chest and leant into his ear.

"I have secrets too. Ones I can't even share with these guys, even though I've known them since birth." N gave me an intrigued look.

"Oh really? Do tell." I sensed in my heart I could trust him, so I leant in and began whispering. N froze. "Impossible...a Pokémon who...I've always thought it was impossible." Nixie coughed.

"Mr. N, can we go back to our Trainer's now? They're getting worried." I looked over and saw that Hilda was panicking, looking anxious and sending pleading gazes my way. The blond girl called Bianca was sobbing into the dark haired boy's shoulder - what was his name? Charles? Darren? Oh wait, it's Cheren. Of course. I nodded at N, who sighed and set us down.

"Please keep my secret, N, and I'll keep yours." N gave me a worried glance. "I didn't tell you my secret, though."

I looked at the box by his waist. "I can tell all your secrets are in there." And with that, I went back to Hilda, who was happy to have me back.

I scooped Nuri back into my arms, happy that the boy hadn't stolen him. N seemed shocked.

"Wow...this is too much. I must go. I may see you along the way. Goodbye." N ran away, shaking his head, one hand on his cube. I gave Cheren and Bianca a smile.

"Well, we've made it to this town. Who's up for dinner?" Cheren nodded, as did Bianca.

"Okay, then let's find us a restaurant!"


	2. Love in the Pokemon Centre

Oh my gosh, I forgot to introduce this! I'm Sexy Blaziken Girl, and this story is set in Unova. In case any of you get confused, the view switches between Hilda, Nuri (Tepig) and Bianca, so just try and keep up. Any scenes with none of those characters will be third person. Thanks for reading!

* * *

It turned out there was no restaurant in Accumula, so we had to go to the Pokémon Centre, where there was a sign advertising free soup for all Pokémon Trainers. This was my first time in a Pokémon Centre - there's not one in Nuvema Town, and all of the routes were blocked by tall grass, so without a Pokémon, you were basically doomed to live there your entire life - so I was feeling nervous.

Yeah, nervous about a Pokémon Centre.

Go me.

A woman in a white and pink uniform came over, holding a pot of soup. There was an Audino behind her, juggling an enormous stack of bowls.

"Hello and welcome to the Pokémon Centre. Are you three Trainers?" We nodded, my stomach growling. The Audino handed us bowls, and the woman poured us some soup. It smelled delicious, and when I tasted it, the flavour made me moan. We finished the soup in a record time, handing the bowls back to the Audino, who used some move I didn't recognize, burning the food scraps into cinders which she then went outside and removed. I looked at the woman.

"What's your name, and what did your Audino just use?" The woman smiled and accepted the now clean bowls from the Audino.

"My name is Nurse Joy. My Audino just used Incinerate. It's a fire-type move, but Audino can learn it. Your Tepig could too, one day. Here, I'll give you the TM." Nurse Joy gave me a shiny, red-tinged disk. I put it in my bag, the part with disk slots, and smiled in thanks.

"Now, are you guys staying the night?" I looked at Cheren and Bianca, who seemed very tired. "Um, sure, I guess. Can we just get the one room with three beds?" Nurse Joy gave me a strange glance.

"I didn't realise you were...of course, I can arrange that. The room will be ready in half an hour. Stay here until then, please." Nurse Joy walked off, leaving me very confused. Bianca stretched and leaned into Cheren's shoulder, yawning. "Where are we gonna sleep tonight?" I smiled at my friends.

"It's okay, Nurse Joy's taking care of that. We're getting a room in half an hour. For now, we stay here." Cheren shrugged and put his arm around Bianca, letting her snuggle into his side. I had the feeling there was something there no one had told me about.

Meanwhile, Nuri, Nixie and Vireo were chatting again.

"Well, I guess I should tell you guys." Nixie and Vireo had been interrogating me since we'd talked with N, trying to guess my secret.

"Yeah, Nuri, spill!" Nixie was acting more excited than usual, despite her Nature. Snivy was merely giving me a cool look. "Yes, Nuri, do _spill_."

I sighed, blowing a few embers out of my nose, which Snivy dodged. "Well...I think I've got a...crush on Hilda." Immediately, my friends took a step back, Vireo, almost falling over.

"You're...kidding, right? This is another of your jokes, right?" Nixie didn't say anything.

"No, it's not. I do feel something for her that doesn't feel like the bond we had with that Juniper woman. That was a Trainer and Pokémon bond. This feels, well, different." Nixie broke her silence, running over and slapping me. The blow hurt, partially because of the type advantage, but mostly because she was holding her scalchop when she did.

"Nuri, that's sick! We should _never_ have anything more than a Trainer and Pokémon bond, because that's all that's normal!" A small cough broke into the conversation. I turned and saw the nurse's Audino, smiling.

"Hello. I hate to butt in, but you're wrong." Nixie blinked and stepped back, breathing slowly, trying to recover her usually calm state. The Audino stepped forward, her feelers twitching.

"The Tepig isn't the only one with more than a Trainer and Pokémon bond with their Trainer." I looked over at Nixie and Vireo, who both seemed confused. The Audino looked directly at Vireo, smiling gently.

"This one, the Snivy, feels something...well, more, for that blond girl over there." For once, Vireo was silent, not making a sassy comment. Nixie looked at him, glaring.

"That's not true, right? You still think it's sick and disgusting...right?" When Vireo didn't reply, she screamed in frustration and ran over to her Pokeball, going back inside for the first time since Cheren had taken her out of it.

The Audino stayed with us. "Tepig, Snivy, you know it's actually not that uncommon. In other places, Pokémon and Trainers sometimes even have relationships. If you ever went to a Pokémon Fan Club, you'd find a whole community of them. One day, your trainers will have to decide whether they love you as a Pokémon or love you as an equal, and that will decide what your relationship will be." The Audino walked off, leaving Vireo and I very confused.

"Well, I'm going back to Bianca. Just...oh, I don't know what to say." And with that, Vireo ran back to Bianca, clambering up onto her shoulder. She smiled and petted his head, but I was the only one who noticed the slight tinge of pink that spread across his cheeks. I shrugged and went back to Hilda, who put me in her lap and tickled under my chin.

I was a very happy Tepig.

Nurse Joy returned with her Audino, smiling. "Well, your room is ready. Please, follow me!" I woke Bianca and Cheren, who had fallen asleep against each other - yeah, there was definitely something going on there - and followed the nurse down into a corridor. Nurse Joy opened one of the doors and revealed the room.

"Wow," we all gasped at the same time. It was three times as big as my room back home, and had a huge TV, game systems, double beds that looked really comfortable and even a little snack fridge. Bianca ran over and started jumping on the bed.

"This is awesome!" I laughed and looked at Nurse Joy, who strangely didn't seem angry that Bianca was messing up the bed.

"Now, you can stay here as long as you want. The TV and the room is free to use. Bathrooms are down the hall, last door on the left for girls, and last door on the right for boys. Well, goodnight." Nurse Joy walked off, leaning down to talk with the Audino.

"Did you talk to the Pokémon?" The Audino nodded, with an enthusiastic "Audi di!"

"And are they...together?" The Audino shook her head, smiling. She couldn't tell Nurse Joy what she'd heard, but it didn't really matter, anyway.

Meanwhile, back in my room, Bianca was still jumping on the bed while Cheren tried to find a documentary on the TV.

"Oh, give it here." I snatched the remote and flicked, finally finding something that appealed to me.

Sound blared from the speakers. "Nimbasa City proudly brings you...the Pokémon Musical!" Bianca squealed and sat down, still bouncing a little. Cheren groaned but didn't argue, going over to sit with Bianca. I sat down on my own bed, Nuri cuddling up to me in my lap. I absentmindedly petted him as the Musical began.

Tonight was the 'A Sweet Soiree' show, and when the curtain was pulled up, it revealed two Swannas, a Liligant, and a ridiculously out of place Trubbish. The first Swanna wore a blue bow on her head, and somehow was holding a parasol with its wing. The second one had a straw hat and held a rose between its teeth. The Liligant had a red neck bow, and the Trubbish had a green bow, trying to fit in and failing. They danced together, except the Trubbish, who kept falling over and was eventually tugged off by a frustrated Trainer. At the end, the parasol-holding Swanna won, and the show was over.

Cheren stretched and groaned. "Thank Arceus that's over." I gave him a questioning look.

"Who's Arceus?" Cheren stared at me.

"Arceus created the world, Hilda. It's the Origin Pokémon. Didn't you ever read the Sinnoh Mythology? No? Well, anyway, it created the Pokémon of space and time, and the Pokémon of emotion, knowledge and willpower, among others. It's even rumoured it created a Pokémon that was banished into a world where there was no time or space." I shrugged and flicked off the television, which was now showing a commercial for the Royal Unova, and pulled out my pyjamas.

"Well, I'm tired, so I'm going to sleep now, so goodnight you two. If you want to keep watching TV, try not to wake me up." I slipped into my pyjamas and slipped under the covers, Nuri curling up by my feet, acting as a hot water bottle. I smiled and quickly fell asleep.

Cheren waited until Hilda had fallen asleep, then turned to me. "Did you mean what you said, on Route 1?" I blushed, playing with my hat.

"Well...yeah, I did. I do like you, Cheren. I like you a lot." It was Cheren's turn to blush.

"Um...wow. Bianca, I've...I've had a...a thing for you for a while now. I know we're only fifteen, but...but...I think I'm in love with you." I gasped silently.

"I...I think I might love you too, but...how can you tell? We're so young - " Cheren silenced me by pressing his lips to mine. I took in a breath and kissed him back, running my hands through his smooth, dark hair. Cheren broke off, gasping.

"Well, that's one way. I think...no, I know I'm in love with you. Are you?" I still couldn't talk, so I just nodded, breathlessly. Cheren leaned in for another kiss, but I stopped him.

"We really should sleep. I'm very tired. We can continue...whatever this is in the morning." Cheren looked dazed, but he nodded, tugging off his clothes. I grabbed both his and my own pyjamas, and turned back to him.

I didn't realise he was so cute under the layers he wore. Cheren even had the beginnings of a six pack. I threw his pyjamas at him and took off my own clothes before slipping into the nightgown I'd packed.

Cheren was already climbing into his bed. I looked at Vireo and Nixie and started whispering.

"You guys take the other bed, okay? I'm sharing with Cheren tonight." Our Pokémon nodded and scampered off to the bed closest to the window. I slid in beside Cheren, making him freeze.

"Bianca, what are you - " "Shush. We're not going to sleep together, just cuddle. Okay?" Cheren sighed in mixed relief and disappointment, and put his arms around me. I smiled and snuggled into his chest, feeling comforted just by being in his arms.

Vireo and Nixie watched their Trainers fall asleep from the bed next to them.

"Say, what do you think of Cheren, Nixie?" The water-type flinched, looking at Vireo.

"Wha - what do you mean? I like him, if that's what you're asking. Do you like Bianca?" Vireo shrugged.

"Yeah. She's a good Trainer. I'm kind of not sure how much I like her, though. Although, there is someone in this room I like more..." Nixie raised her eyebrows.

"And that would be...who? Hilda?" Vireo shook his head.

"One of the new Pokémon?" Vireo shook his head again, smiling wickedly. "Cheren?" Nixie was getting desperate now, and the headshake made her even more desperate.

"Is it Nuri?" The grass-type smiled, and shook his head once more.

"But that means...that you...oh my. Oh my." Vireo leant over and gave Nixie a peck on the cheek, making her blush.

"Yeah. I don't care if you don't like me, but it's alright if you do. I'll give you some time to think about it." Vireo curled up on the pillow, falling asleep instantly. He was still tired from the events of today. Nixie sat on the edge of the bed, mind racing. Finally, she walked over to Vireo, and kissed him on the lips.

"I do like you, but that's the problem." Nixie stepped onto the other pillow, stretching out and blanking her mind to make herself fall asleep. Beside her, Vireo smiled, having heard what Nixie had said.

"Problems were made to be solved, weren't they?" And with that, the two Pokémon fell asleep.

In the morning, I woke up and looked around. Cheren and Bianca were in the same bed, which wasn't actually that unexpected. Cheren had told me a few weeks ago he had a crush on Bianca, and judging by the amount of blushing she did around him, she liked him too. Vireo and Nixie were on the pillows of the bed by the window, Vireo smiling in his sleep. Nuri had moved to my chest, which had probably woke me up. I petted him and smiled.

"Morning, Nuri. I'll be back in half an hour. Stay here, and try not to wake the others." Nuri smiled and made a sound of agreement, rolling over in the warm spot he'd created. I slipped out of the bed and grabbed my toiletries bag and towel, heading for the door. Bianca stirred and turned into Cheren's chest as I passed, murmuring something unintelligible. I swore under my breath and grabbed my clothes before going out of the door.

The corridor was empty, but judging by the tie on one of the doors, the rooms weren't. I walked down to the girls bathroom, which was marked by a water symbol and a crude representation of a girl, which was merely a stick figure wearing an over-exaggerated dress. I pulled it open and walked in.

The room held five large tubs, two of which were filled with women. Yes, there was more than one girl in the tubs. I walked over cautiously, until one of the girls beckoned me over.

"Hey, Trainer, come over here. What's your name?" I walked over to the tub, hands shaking nervously.

"Um, Hilda. Why?" The girl smiled and draped a lazy arm over the edge of the tub.

"Would you care to join us...Hilda?" I blinked. Women sharing tubs wasn't unheard of, but I'd never met these women, so I was feeling a little worried. The woman grinned lazily at me, like a Liepard to a Minccino, but it had some kindness behind it. I shrugged and slipped out of my pyjamas, slipping into the tub.

While I washed my hair, I found out who the other girls were. The woman who invited me in was named Elena, and she was a Smasher heading to Nimbasa City for a tournament. There were two Backers, who were going with Elena to the tournament, named Kay and Ali. The other woman in the tub was Ingrid, a Clerk who was headed for Castelia City to work in one of the offices there.

"So, Hilda, what's your story?" I grinned at the girls, washing out the shampoo from my hair.

"Well, I'm on a Pokémon journey with a Tepig. Professor Juniper gave him to me." Immediately, their curiosity was piqued.

"A Pokémon journey? Aren't you a little older than usual?" I shrugged at Kay. "I didn't get the chance until now, so I don't know. I'm just glad I got the opportunity."

Elena was interested in Professor Juniper. "So, that Professor, I hear she's a bit...feisty. Gets around, you know?" I remembered the movie and tried not to blush. "Well, I only met her once, so I can't tell you about that." Elena shrugged, although she seemed pretty disappointed.

Ingrid had a question that cut me to the core, though: "What are you going to do once your journey's over? Once you've gone as far as you can, I mean." I paused, thinking.

"Well, I don't know. I guess I go back to the place I loved most when I was journeying." I clambered out of the tub. "Well, it's been a pleasure, but I have to go now." I slipped into my clothes, feeling someone's eyes on me. Elena cleared her throat.

"I'll give you my number. I want to stay in contact with you. You seem nice." I grabbed my Xtransceiver and typed in the numbers she recited, saving it under Elena.

"Thank you. I should be going now. My friends will be waiting." The girls waved and went back to chatting as I went out the door, humming to myself.

When I went back to the room, Cheren and Bianca were battling. I ran in, holding up my hands.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! You can't battle in here! It'll destroy the place!" Cheren held up his hands in a confused gesture.

"We're not battling! Nixie and Vireo just started fighting all of the sudden, and we can't stop them!" I ran over to Nuri, shaking him awake. He stood up, shaking his head.

"Nuri, Vireo and Nixie are fighting, you have to help! Stop them!" I released Rose to help him, and they ran into the middle of the battle.

I ran with Rose right into the centre of the place Nixie and Vireo were using as a battleground, shouting, "Cut it out, you guys!" Nixie screamed in anger, throwing her scalchop at Vireo, which Rose caught easily, somehow without injuring herself.

"That bastard tricked me! He told me he liked me last night, and when I woke up, he told me he hated me and left, before coming back and pretending it never happened! I'm going to kill him!" Vireo shook his head, confused.

"I didn't tell you that! I went down to the nurse to get a snack, and then when I came back, something ran past me and I went in to see if you were okay!" Nixie started cursing him then, saying every bad name under the sun. I'd had enough. Ignoring the type disadvantage, I ran over and slammed into Nixie, shocking her into silence.

"Just _shut up!_ You need to stop fighting! Figure it out later, but don't just - " Nixie interrupted me by using Water Gun on me, but instead of it hitting me, Rose flung herself in front of the move, deflecting it off her outstretched arms. Nixie paused, seeing she'd hurt Rose.

Rose took a deep breath and began to speak.

"I can read emotions, like Nuri already knows, and both of you are telling the truth. Nixie did get told by Vireo that he hated her, but it wasn't the real Vireo." Now I was confused.

"Rose, what do you mean?" Rose looked at me, smiling gently.

"Have you ever heard of the Pokémon Zorua?" I frowned, as did Vireo, but Nixie gasped. We all looked at her.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Vireo. I should have realised...you were acting so strangely...I should have known." Seeing our confused looks, Nixie explained. "Cheren was looking at a book with a Zorua in it. They have the Ability Illusion. They can shape shift into any Pokémon, and it only wears off when they're hit by something. I threw my scalchop at you, and it hit the back of you just as you left. I thought I saw something strange, and that must have been it changing back into being a Zorua. It's what you saw as you came back from seeing the nurse." I blinked.

"So, there's a Pokémon, who can be any other type of Pokémon?" Rose nodded.

"Two, in fact. There's a Pokémon from a far away region called Ditto, which shares that characteristic. Of course, it turns back to its usual shape when it laughs, and hitting it doesn't make it change. It's also rumoured that there's a legendary who can also do that, named Mew. Apparently, it's the first Pokémon, and we are all mutations from its DNA." Nixie and Vireo looked at each other, and ran into each other's arms, Nixie shouting apologies. I smiled at Rose, who had a faint sheen of sweat on her forehead.

"Thank you, Rose. Now, we better get you healed. Follow me." Rose went to walk, but almost fell over. I nudged under her so she lay over my back, and picked her up, running down the corridor until I saw a familiar person: Nurse Joy.

For her credit, she figured it out pretty quickly. Nurse Joy hooked Rose up to the machine, putting electrodes on her forehead and chest. She flicked on the machine and a faint blue light sunk into her, similar to Cheren's mysterious healing powers. Hilda ran down just in time to see Rose healed and hugging me, blushing.

"Thank you, Nuri. You didn't need to carry me down here, but you did. Thanks." She released me and let Hilda put her back into the Pokeball.

I scooped Nuri up, praising him for being such a strong little Pokémon. He smiled at me, snuggling into the hollow of my neck. Cheren and Bianca met us as I walked up the hallway, Nixie cradled in Cheren's arms and Vireo curled around Bianca's neck.

"Hey, Hilda." I grabbed Bianca's arm and tugged her aside, grinning evilly.

"So, what did you two do last night?" Bianca blushed and looked around.

"Um, nothing. Not a thing. Not one thing was done, I swear." I grinned at her.

"Please, I saw you this morning. You looked very...cosy. Did you two..." A light went on in her eyes, seeming to understand my words without needing to hear the ending.

"Nope, we just cuddled. We're too young for...that, right?" I shrugged.

"I guess, if you want to, that is if you both want to, you can? Don't ask me. Should we leave now?" Bianca gasped, and started jumping up and down, becoming excited.

"We're on a Pokémon journey! We can't stay still, there's so much to see! Come on!" Bianca tugged me back into the room, where Cheren was patting Nixie gently.

"You know, Nuri didn't need to do that. Magic hands, remember?" I swore, and judging by the grunts from Nuri, he was too. Nixie and Vireo gave him a few glances, the water-type seeming shocked, but Vireo seeming approving and slightly proud.

"Guys, why are we staying here? We've got so many other places to explore! Let's go!" Bianca had grabbed her bag and Vireo, who had protested slightly before climbing up to his usual perch. I grinned at my friend, and picked up my own bag, letting Nuri back down by my feet.

This was only the second day of my adventure, and I'd already grown so much.


	3. Dreams and Nightmares

We headed off, saying goodbye, since we didn't know when we'd see each other again. I'd bought some more Pokeballs, and was planning to catch a few more Pokémon.

"Let's go, Nuri!" He squealed in joy and ran into the grass, me following.

"Purrloin! Purr, loin lo!" I spotted Nuri facing off with a Purrloin, who was hissing.

"Nuri, Ember!" He spouted flames from his nose, hitting the Purrloin, who hissed and scratched him with its claws. Nuri winced but Tackled it anyway, making it slow. I threw the Pokeball, snagging it quickly, and taking it out again, checking gender. It was female.

"You can be... Coal." She didn't complain, just gave me a weary look and placed a paw on the Pokeball, going back in. I shrugged and turned back to Nuri.

Nuri rubbed at the scratch marks, whining. I rummaged in my Bag and found a Potion Mom must have packed me. I quickly sprayed it on the wounds, which dissolved.

"Let's go find some more Pokémon!" As if my cry had summoned it, another Purrloin appeared. I didn't want to catch another, so I just made Nuri fight it until it ran away. Nuri shivered, seeming very excited. I sent out my other Pokémon to do some battling. A Patrat scampered out, grinning, wanting his turn. Nuri used Ember, which must have been a critical hit, because the Patrat collapsed straight away, and was dragged away by a Watchog. Nuri gave out a battle cry and ran into the grass, battling for himself without my guidance. When he dragged out a Pokémon, I tapped a Pokeball to it. Soon, I had a full party, with Nuri, Rose, Sentry, Yaps, Coal and another Patrat I named Scout. Rose, Sentry and Yaps came back, looking a little tired, but they seemed to have become stronger. I put them into their balls and kept walking.

Then, we were at Striaton City.

"Oh, Arceus." It was huge. I'd never been in such a large place. It was beautiful, too. A huge garden stretching to the west, and large buildings, but the most interesting place for me was the Gym in the centre of town. I ran to the door, but it was locked, with a sign taped to it.

"'Gym Leaders away, urgent business. Be back soon - Cress, Cilan, Chilli.' You're kidding. Three Leaders, and not one of them here for challengers." Nuri laughed and looked over at the Trainers School.

"Okay, we can go there. Come on." We went over and walked in, spotting Cheren at the board. I ran over and grinned at him.

"I thought you knew enough about all this by now." Cheren gave me a disgusted look.

"Please, you can never learn enough when you're a Trainer. Speaking of which...a battle, maybe?" I looked at my Pokémon.

"They need healing first. Let me go to a Pokémon Centre first, then maybe - " Cheren put his hands onto them and Nuri, letting his glowing healing light seep into them.

"Seriously, how do you do that?" Cheren shrugged, and plucked out a Pokeball.

"Hiss, go!" I didn't even ask, just sent Nuri over. He curled up, covering weakened areas. Cheren's Hiss lashed out, but Nuri dodged, sending embers towards the dark-type. Cheren's Pokémon hissed and scratched Nuri, yowling. Nuri just used Ember again, making her collapse. Cheren gave me a glance and sent out Nixie. I called Nuri back, and sent out Rose, who chirped and landed easily. Nixie threw her scalchop, which Rose dodged and threw back, letting Nixie catch it. My Pokémon ran forward and slapped her on the head, making Nixie fall over. She waggled her tail, making Rose pause, but she recovered and hit Nixie again, making her crash into the wall. That finished her off, and the water-type fainted.

Cheren healed them, and put Hiss back into her Pokeball, putting Nixie on top of his bag.

"Good battle. Now, I'm going to wait for the Leaders to come back. Be seeing you." Cheren walked out, leaving me alone. I shrugged and went into the Pokémon Centre to heal my Pokémon.

The Gym still wasn't open, so I decided to explore, going to the east. There was a forested area called the 'Dreamyard', which seemed appealing. I made sure I had a heap of Pokeballs and went inside, pushing through the trees. A girl ran up to me.

"Hey, that's a Tepig, right? I nodded, petting Nuri's head.

"Here, take this." She handed me a Pokeball, but then took it back. "You need to go put one of your Pokémon in the PC. The nurse will explain it." And with that, she ran away. I shrugged and went back to the Pokémon Centre, looking at the PC next to the counter. I pressed a button, and it lit up.

"Welcome to the PC. What would you like to do today?" Four options lit up. I pressed 'Someone's PC', following the instructions by the side of the PC.

"Someone's PC was selected." More options lit up. I picked 'Deposit Pokémon', and a screen lit up entitled 'Box One'. I looked at my Pokeballs, confused. Which one would I put in?

With much consideration, I grabbed Scout's ball. The next bit seemed odd. I pressed the Pokeball into the screen. With a beep, it absorbed it, and a little picture of Scout appeared, with details next to it. I gasped, and closed the PC.

"How does that work?" Nurse Joy - not the one from Accumula, her sister - shrugged.

"You'd have to ask whoever invented it. I don't know who that is, though." I shrugged and left, heading back to the Dreamyard.

The girl ran up to me again and gave me a Pokeball. I opened it, releasing a small green Pokémon.

"This is a Pansage. It will help you when you face the Striaton brothers." She walked away again, leaving me alone. I looked at the green Pokémon, which after a check was revealed to be female.

"How'd you like to be called Flora?" She screeched in approval and jumped up onto my shoulder. I smiled at her.

Then, I heard a shout in the centre of the Dreamyard.

"Uh oh." I let Nuri out and ran in, Flora swinging from my hair. Two of the knights were standing around a small pink Pokémon, prodding it.

"Come on, make Dream Mist!" It cried out, but didn't move. I ran over.

"Hey! Just what do you think you're doing?" One of the knights looked at me, then nudged the other.

"Oh great, a toddler wandered in. Let's take her down." The other one grinned, and sent out a Patrat. The first threw out another Patrat. I put down Flora, who got the message pretty quickly. Soon, she was battling in earnest, flicking them with vines while Nuri spouted embers. After one of them went down, Nuri started doing something new. He coated himself in flames and ran at the Patrat, burning it. Soon, it went down too.

"How'd we get beaten by a kid? Oh well, let's get the Dream Mist, then - " Suddenly, a familiar figure appeared - Ghetsis.

"You fools, getting beaten by a child! We are leaving right now! Go on!" The knights panicked and ran away. Ghetsis looked at me and went over to the pink Pokémon. He smiled, and shivered, becoming a large, purple Pokémon.

"Oh wow, what happened?" I turned and saw Bianca, with a strange woman behind her. The purple Pokémon drifted away, but the pink one floated over to us, hovering around Bianca.

"I think she likes you. Do you want to catch her?" Bianca pulled out a Pokeball and held it in front of the pink Pokémon. It made a happy sound and butted against it, going in. A small voice came out.

"I am Munna. I am yours now, Bianca." We gasped. The woman walked over.

"Munna are a psychic-type Pokémon, so they can talk to you. This one was young, so it can only speak a little. Munna and Musharna, it's evolution, also have another quality. They produce...aha!" The woman held up a jar she'd been scooping around in the air. It was filled with pink gas.

"This is Dream Mist, and what the Team Plasma grunts were after. We need it for a special project. Come with me and I'll show you." We shrugged at each other and followed the woman out of the Dreamyard.

The woman, who introduced herself as Tania, took us to a large building. She led us upstairs, where a woman was pacing.

"I told you, Tania, don't come back until you - is that what I think it is?" Tania held up the jar triumphantly.

"These two helped me get it. Professor Fennel, meet Bianca and Hilda." Professor Fennel smiled at us.

"Have you met Professor Juniper? She is my friend. I am a Pokémon Professor of a different sort, not studying Pokémon, but one that studies their dreams. Here, let me show you. May I have one of your Pokémon?" I looked down at Nuri.

"Do you want to?" He grunted, nodding at my Pokeball that held Rose. I took that as he would with her. I released her and looked at Professor Fennel.

"These two will." Professor Fennel smiled and gestured towards the bed. My Pokémon lay down next to each other, paws entwined. Professor Fennel slotted the jar into a hole, hooking it up to tubes. She placed masks over my Pokémon's mouths.

"Now, watch this." The Dream Mist filtered through the tubes into the masks. My Pokémon took a few breaths, and then they were asleep. Professor Fennel opened a computer, and an image began to develop.

"Now, we'll - " A crack interrupted her sentence. The Dream Mist started to leak out of a split in the jar. A bit hit Bianca and Vireo, who both collapsed. I tried to move back, but a cloud of it drifted over my nose, and I was gone.

I woke on a strange island, confused. Next to me was a human girl, with all pink clothes and creamy skin, bright blue eyes and pieces of blond hair curling down from a tight hairdo.

"Who are you?" I jumped at her voice, which sounded familiar.

"I'm Nuri. Who are you?" The girl gasped.

"You're _Nuri_? But you're...human. It's me, Rose..." She looked down at herself and gasped. I ran over to a pond, where Rose joined me. Reflected was a boy with black hair, a gold patch in the centre of his forehead. He wore an orange shirt and pants, with a black sash. The only familiar part was my tail, which was still there, curled and ending with an orange ball.

"What in Arceus' name is going on?" I shrugged at Rose. An 'ahem' caught my attention. I looked over and saw Musharna, the Pokémon who'd appeared earlier. She smiled gently at us.

"You're in the Dream World. When you breathed in my Dream Mist, you fell asleep. This is your dream, but it is shared with many others. Here, let me show you." Images lit up in the air, of Hilda, stretching out. Bianca was there too, with a human-shaped Vireo next to her. The woman named Tania was there too, as was Fennel.

"For some reason, Pokémon gain a human shape here. Myself and Munna can change forms, but that is because we visit here often. It will take you longer to learn. Now, you must find your Trainer. Not all that is here is safe."

And with those words, Musharna left, leaving Rose and I alone. I looked at her and shivered.

"Come on. We have to find Hilda."

I woke up alone, with no Pokeballs. I looked around and saw I was on what appeared to be a floating island. There was a cabin in the middle of the island, but it was empty.

"What is this?" I was really confused, and getting scared.

"This is the Dream World. Welcome!" I jumped and spun. Of all people, Professor Juniper was standing behind me, smiling.

"You're surprised to see me, I guess. I'm asleep right now, and so are you. I have a small store of Dream Mist in my lab, which Fennel gave me the last time she got some. When the machine malfunctioned, she stayed awake long enough to send me a ping through the Xtransceiver. I opened the jar and now here I am." I blinked, slightly shocked.

"So, she gave you Dream Mist? Why didn't she just use that instead of going to the Dreamyard, and why did she give you some?" Professor Juniper blushed a little and brushed back a strand of hair that had fallen loose.

"She gave me some in case this ever happened, so I could enter the Dream World and help her. I didn't realise she'd bring friends, though. It's always more potent fresh, so my jar wouldn't have done the trick, when she was recording the dreams at the same time. So mine wasn't an option." There was a shriek, and Professor Fennel ran over, hugging Professor Juniper.

"Aurea! What are you doing here?" Professor Juniper laughed, pulling away.

"I came when you sent the ping. I guess you didn't expect me to get it, or that maybe it didn't send. So, Saffron, what are you going to do about your tag-alongs?" I blushed when I realised she meant me, and walked forward.

"If I can find Nuri and Rose, I'll be safe, but I'm not leaving until I find them." Professor Fennel shrugged and handed me a small device, with blinking lights.

"Use this to find your friends. Just type in their name and they'll light up on the screen. You're the blue dot, and whoever you're looking for is the green dot. Find Bianca, she was only a little behind, so that Vireo can protect you. Now go!" I gave her a glance and walked away, typing in Bianca's name. A green dot light up on the next island. I looked over and saw the only link was a rainbow, which shimmered. I swallowed my fear and walked over to the rainbow, cautiously placing a foot down. It conformed to my footstep but didn't dissolve, so I kept walking. The rainbow twisted to follow where I walked, so if I tripped and stuck out a foot over the edge, there was suddenly a floor there, catching me. I made it over to the next island, and spotted Bianca and some other boy, who seemed slightly familiar. They were holding each other, Bianca crying. I ran over to where they were.

"What's wrong?" She looked over at me and screamed, releasing the boy and running over to hug me with the force of a bulldozer.

"Thank Arceus you're safe! I was so worried...are you okay? Where's Nuri and Rose?" I laughed and peeled away her arms, sending a pleading gaze towards the boy. He just smiled.

"Okay, I'm perfectly fine. I don't even think we can be hurt here. I don't know where Nuri and Rose are, and that's why I came to find you and Vireo. Speaking of which, where is he?" The boy coughed.

"I'm Vireo. For some reason, right now I look human. Don't ask me why." I studied him, looking for similarities. The boy was wearing a green hoodie, which lay open at the front, with a gold collar and the hood up. He had on a cream top and pants, and cream shoes. A tail fanned out bizarrely from under the hoodie, spreading out into a leafy prong. His eyes were brown, lined with gold. He looked like Vireo, but...human.

"Well, we don't have time to question that now. Nuri and Rose are still out there somewhere. We have to find them. Come on." I programmed the detector to find Nuri, and we ran off.

Rose and I had found a small cabin in the centre of the island. I wandered in, lighting up our surroundings by circling fire around my neck. It was a cosy room, with everything you'd need. The pantry was stacked with Berries and some pastry things I didn't recognize, that were labelled 'Poffins'. Rose came in and gasped.

"It's beautiful. I love it. It's as if it were made for us!" She ran over to the couch, sitting down. I grabbed a bowl and put some Poffins into them, as well as Berries, and headed over to Rose.

"Here. I don't know what the Poffins taste like, but the Berries should be good." We tucked in, trying the Poffins. I liked the Dry ones, but Rose, with a Jolly Nature, loved the Sweet ones. We put back the rest and ate them and the Berries, feeling very content. Rose looked at me.

"Well...do you have any idea what's going on?" I shrugged.

"This is really weird for me. I mean, we're in a dream, but it feels pretty real. I don't know what to think anymore." Rose gave me a glance.

"You think more than you let on, don't you?" I blushed, looking at Rose.

"Well...I do. I have a lot of thoughts I don't let on. Like, I have this thing where I...oh, it's too embarrassing. I can't say it." Rose gave me an encouraging look, so I continued, blushing fiercely.

"Well...I write poetry. In my head, whenever I see something I really like, or that strikes me. Like, when I first saw you, I made something up...never mind. It's really embarrassing." Rose put her hand on my shoulder.

"Nuri, I don't care that you write poetry. I think it's cute. Go on." I sighed and started reciting.

"With a voice that called from the greenest grass/With eyes as blue as the sky/She called to me in the sweetest tone/So beautiful it made me sigh. See, I told you it was embarrassing." Rose was looking very shocked. She put a hand to her chest.

"Nuri, that's...that's beautiful. Do you really mean it?" I blinked.

"Sure I do. Why wouldn't I? Your voice is beautiful. You're beautiful. You're the most beautiful creature I've ever - " Rose broke me off by leaning forward and pressing her lips to mine. She tasted like Berries and Poffins, and I loved it. I put my arm around her, tangling my hands in her hair. This may have been an unfamiliar body, but this was instinctive.

Rose gasped into my lips, moving closer, ending up sitting in my lap. I leant into the kiss, savouring it, before a knock on the door shocked us into separating. Rose quickly tidied her hair as I stood up, going to the door. When Rose was ready, I opened the door. Standing by the door was Hilda, Bianca and Vireo, grinning.

"Hey Nuri. You realise there are windows on your cabin, right?" I swore. Hilda grinned at me, reminding me she could hear me now.

"It's nice to have you and Rose back. Now let's go and find Fennel so we can get out of here." I grinned and turned back to Rose.

"Hilda's here. We're leaving now."

Meanwhile, Professor Juniper and Professor Fennel were making out, half undressed.

"Oh, Aurea, I've missed you." Professor Juniper moaned into her lips as Fennel's roving fingers touched sensitive places.

"I've missed you too, Saffron, but what happens if the children come back while we're..." Fennel shushed her partner with a kiss, which Professor Juniper was pretty happy about. She was only in her bra and skirt now, and Fennel wore only bra and panties.

"You should come here more often. I'll send down more Dream Mist so we can...catch up." Professor Juniper gasped as Fennel brushed against her skin.

" Fennel? Are you in here?" Fennel swore and retrieved her garments.

"Coming," she called as Professor Juniper slid on her shirt and lab coat, quickly putting her hair back into its place. Fennel opened the door to reveal Tania, the assistant. She was looking rather dishevelled, hair messed up, lipstick smudged.

"Well, who did you find?" Tania grinned.

"I'm going to keep that a secret for now. The children are nearby. They're in one piece, but maybe not for long. There's something strange out there, and it's not on their side..." Professor Juniper swore and ran out, shouting out a name:

"Cresselia!"

We were surrounded by dark mist. There was an evil laugh emanating from in front of us. Bianca was shaking, clutching Vireo. Nuri and Rose were holding hands, and I was begging Arceus for help.

"Arceus won't help you now. He hasn't been around since I was born. Don't get your hopes up. Nobody's going to rescue you." The voice was deep and chilling, turning my blood to ice. Despite my fear, I shouted into the mist.

"Who are you? Show yourself, coward!" The voice laughed again, making Bianca squeal.

"I am no coward. I dwell in darkness, shrouding myself in dreams filled with nightmarish things, evil creatures, some of them put by me, some placed by human and Pokémon's wild imaginings. I reveal myself to those who wish to see pure darkness. I am..._Darkrai!_" A Pokémon appeared, laughing wickedly. It had a dark, smoke-like body, with a red collar jutting up from its shoulders. On top of its head was a jagged white plume, also looking like smoke. It had piercing blue eyes, which were staring evilly at us, crinkled up as it smiled wickedly. I jumped back.

"Wow...what the hell are you?" Darkrai laughed.

"I am a legendary, and I wield the power of nightmares like you have never seen before." It pointed at Nuri, who screamed and collapsed, fast asleep but thrashing. I ran over, as did Rose. As one, we screamed:

"_Nuri!_"

I woke in a place filled with darkness and spirits. I looked around. "Hilda? Rose? Anyone?" A wicked laugh answered me. With an ominous sound, Pokémon walked forward, all dark colours. I screamed and scrambled backwards. They laughed as one. I recognized Rose, Nixie and Vireo, among other Pokémon that must have been in the region. Rose walked up to me, her usually blue eyes turned red, cream faded to grey, pink becoming dark. She crooned into my ear, mocking me in tones Rose would never use.

"Poor, poor Nuri, all alone. No Hilda to save you now. No friends to shield you. I guess you're pretty scared now, Nuri, since you've relied on others your whole life." Rose laughed and beckoned over Nixie, who had also changed, blues becoming navy, eyes black holes, scalchop red as blood. Vireo followed her, having turned from green and cream to dark grey and smoggy green, his eyes as dark as the new moon. As one, they began taunting.

"Even when you were newly born, you used us to protect you. Poor, poor Nuri, never standing up for himself, always relying on others to do the work for him. Now, you're all alone, scared and weak, and you'll join us!" With a wicked scream, the Pokémon flooded forward, pinning my arms and legs, Rose sitting on my chest. Darkrai emerged, carrying a ball of pure darkness.

"Say goodbye, Nuri." With a strong hand, he opened my jaw. I tried to fend him off as the ball of shadow slid down my throat, poisoning me as it touched me. I screamed and thrashed, feeling myself darken.

I sat helpless as Nuri screamed in his sleep, Rose trying to wake him. Darkrai laughed. "It's no use. He won't wake until I permit it, and right now, I feel wicked. The only thing that can save him now is - " A shining light pierced the mist, lighting us up. Darkrai gasped and drew back, scowling.

"Cresselia!" A human-shaped Pokémon descended, with Professor Juniper beside her. She had yellow skin, with two blue stripes on her face, ending on her cheekbones. She wore a blue dress, open at the front, showing yellow clothing. On her forehead was a large purple gem, and radiating from her back and sides were purple arcs, the back one lighter and larger than the rest. She had piercing purples eyes.

With a cry, she sent out a wave of violet light, eliminating the mist. Darkrai growled, sounding like an army of Pokémon inside just one.

"One day, I'll beat you, Cresselia, just you wait. Darkness will consume the light!" And with that, he vanished into thin air, his wicked laugh lingering for a few seconds. Cresselia kneeled next to Nuri, brushing his forehead.

"Wake, little one." Nuri stirred, blinking. He saw Rose and seemed shocked, before hugging her fiercely.

"Oh, it was awful. You were corrupted, and it tried to make me corrupted, and...oh Arceus it was awful!" Cresselia moved over to me, smiling gently.

"I don't know why Darkrai targeted you today, but I can tell you are strong, and not easily beaten. You will need that in the future. Goodbye, for now. I may see you in the future." Cresselia starting floating, and soon she was shooting up into the sky. Professor Juniper watched her go and clapped her hands together.

"Well, that's enough adventure for today. Now let's get out of here!" Everyone cheered and started walking away, but I paused. I'd seen something down the island a little bit. I snuck over and peered around, looking for the blue and cream Pokémon I'd seen earlier. There was a laugh, and it cantered out.

"Hello, little one." The Pokémon smiled at me and leapt into my arms, somehow conjuring a Pokeball from out of thin air. It pressed a hoof to the Pokeball, going into it. I pocketed the Pokeball and ran after everyone else, wondering what sort of Pokémon I'd just caught.

When we were back at the cabin, Fennel gave us all a Berry.

"It's a Chesto Berry. It should wake us up from the Dream Mist induced sleep. Eat it all." I bit in, tasting the sweet, slightly spicy taste. As soon as I finished it, a strange feeling came over me. Before my eyes, Rose vanished, as did Vireo and Bianca. The cabin dissolved, and I sat up, gasping. Rose and Nuri stirred on the table, then jumped up. Bianca and Vireo were standing up, Bianca rubbing her head. Fennel stirred and jumped up, looking around.

"I assume Professor Juniper made it back. Well, that was interesting. I've always wanted to be in the land of dreams, but from what I saw from the window, it's not always a nice place. Now, I'm sure the Gym will be open now. Good luck!" Bianca grabbed Vireo and ran out, me following with Rose and Nuri trailing behind. The Gym was indeed open. I pushed open the door and ran in. Three Trainers stood in a raised platform, juggling Pokeballs. I ran forward at the same time as the blue-haired one.

"How fortunate. You get to battle the most skilled of us. I am Cress, the water-type specialist. Let us begin!" He released a Lillipup from one of the Pokeballs, which barked as it landed. I easily defeated it with Nuri, but then he sent out a Panpour. I withdrew Nuri.

"Flora, go!" Flora leapt out with a howl, sending a vine towards the Panpour. It screeched as it whipped into his skin, but leapt forward anyway, scratching Flora with razor-sharp claws. Flora merely scratched back, and it seemed to have done just enough damage, as the Panpour fell backwards with a thud, fainted. I grinned at my Pokémon. Cress walked forward, carrying something metallic. He opened his hand to reveal a badge with three gems in it, a red, blue and green one, the same colour as each brother's respective hair.

"You have beaten me...I did not believe it was possible. This is the Trio Badge, one of eight you will collect on your journey. Beware. We are by far the weakest Gym Leaders. Do not underestimate the others. Now go, and continue your journey!" I walked out, grinning madly. Cheren and Bianca were waiting outside, Cheren polishing his badge proudly. Bianca squealed and ran in, Vireo chirping and following her. I smiled at Cheren.

"That was so..fun! Even more fun than regular battling! I want to do it again!" Cheren laughed.

"Well, when we get to Nacrene City, you can. Lenora's really good, too. And she runs a museum. Oh, I can't wait! There are fossils, and her gym's in a library, so I can read for a bit before challenging her, and I've heard there's a mysterious stone..." I laughed at the amazing amount of geekiness by friend was radiating.

"Cheren, calm down. You're getting nerdy. Now, all we need to do is - " Bianca ran out, squealing.

"I beat Chili! I beat him with my Panpour that girl gave me. It was great!" I froze.

"Did you say a girl gave you a Panpour?" Bianca nodded. "A girl gave me a Pansage." Cheren grinned and pulled out a Pokeball, letting out...a Pansear.

"I think we all got one. Well, we can't complain, can we?" I laughed and patted Nuri on the head.

"Well, now we head west to Nacrene City!" I cheered and hugged my friends.

* * *

I like this chapter. NuRose, and Darkrai and Cresselia appearing, plus that mysterious Pokemon Hilda caught...please tell me someone recognized it.

It was Keldeo, for people who aren't familiar with the youngest member of the Swords of Justice.

Please review!


	4. The Daycare Centre

Cheren and Bianca headed off first, hand in hand, their Pokémon also closer together than usual. I watched with a small smile, seeing a little flare of love blooming. Cheren had always liked Bianca, but I wasn't sure how long Bianca had liked Cheren.

"Tepig pig!" I looked down at Tepig, who was nudging my leg.

"Of course. We need to move on too." I let out Rose, who chirped and ran over to Nuri. I knelt down and looked them in the eye.

"We'll be heading to Nacrene City. I want you guys to do some training. Try not to stray too far from me, though, I don't want to lose you." They nodded and ran off together. I grinned, remembering what they'd been doing when I'd finally found them in the Dream World. I let out Flora as well.

"Okay girl, let's go kick some ass!" Flora chirped and punched the air. I ran into the tall grass, holding a Pokeball in my hand.

"Blitzle! Blitz itz itzle!" I whirled around and saw a little zebra with electricity flickering around its body.

"Flora! Vine Whip!" Flora sent her vines towards the Blitzle, whipping it. It took the hits and sent a wave of lightning at Flora, who dodged and watched it crackle away. I quickly threw a Pokeball, and the Blitzle was caught. I grabbed it from the ground and held it up to my face.

"I'll call you Bolt." The Pokeball disappeared, probably going to my PC. I still wasn't sure how they managed that. Flora looked up at me with a grin. I petted her head.

"Good girl. Now, we should get to Nacrene. Nuri and Rose are probably waiting for us there.

Meanwhile, Rose and I had found a little building by the side of the path.

"Hey, what's this?" I shrugged and walked forward. An old, balding man was standing by the side of the house, looking over at the Pokémon wandering around in the yard. He must have spotted us, because he ran over and knelt down.

"Hello, you two. Are you lost?" Rose nodded, despite my frown and warning not to talk to strangers. The man grinned and picked us up, accidentally stabbing me in the side with a sharp fingernail. I yelped as it pressed into my side. The man shifted his grip and apologized.

"I'm sorry, little Pokémon. My name is Joseph, and I'm the Daycare Man. My wife and I run this Daycare, to raise Pokémon for Trainers who don't have enough time or opportunities to train them themselves." Rose looked over at me, thinking hard. I could tell because her feelers were twitching like crazy.

"Well, he seems trustworthy, and if they're giving us a place to rest...don't look a gift Zebstrika in the mouth." I grinned at the pink Pokémon and relaxed, letting the little bit of fire I'd had bubbled up in case they tried anything weird sink back into my fire sacs. Joseph carried us to another old person, this one a woman, probably his wife. She looked at us and smiled gently.

"Hello, young Pokémon. My name is Heather. I'll take you to a room to rest." Joseph put us down on the ground by his wife's feet. Heather opened a door and walked in, checking behind her to make sure we were following. Rose looked at me and smiled, and we walked in together. Heather took us down a long corridor to a room with a small silvery mark on the door.

"This is one of the rooms for two Pokémon to share. You're welcome to rest for as long as you like." With that, Heather left, closing the door. There was a small click as the lock snapped into place, and we were alone. Rose walked around the room, whistling.

"This is just like the cabin in the Dream World, only bigger. Look, they've even got Poffins and Berries!" I walked over and saw the huge bowl of Berries and Poffins. I grinned and grabbed a handful of Dry ones for me and Sweet ones for Rose, walking over to the mat that was spread on the floor. Rose was already sitting down, cross-legged, looking at the paintings on the wall.

"Hey, this one's got a Tepig in it too!" Rose pointed to one by the window. I looked and saw about five Tepig surrounding a male and female Emboar, who appeared to be laughing. Something about it seemed familiar...hang on. I looked at the Emboars again, looking for something. Right there, on the male's chest, was a short scar that cut through the golden swirls.

"They aren't just any Tepigs...these are my family. I'm by my father's foot. I remember this photo getting taken the day before Professor Juniper adopted me, Nixie and Vireo." Rose walked over and put her hands on my shoulders, looking sad.

"Do you miss them?" I shrugged, looking over at her.

"Sometimes, but my new life is fantastic. It was worth it, but it would be nice to see them again..." A lightbulb flashed in my head. "Rose, if that photo is here, then...my family must be here somewhere. Can you get Joseph and Heather?" Rose nodded and scurried out of the room. I waited until she brought back the Daycare Couple, then pointed to the photo.

"Hey...you must be one of Flame and Ember's litter! Do you want to see them?" We nodded, and were promptly picked up and taken down a long hallway, to another room. Joseph opened the door and put me down, while Heather placed Rose on the ground.

"Goodbye, you two." The old couple left, and Rose and I entered the room. It was exactly as I remembered, green and filled with laughter. My mum and dad stood in the middle of the room, surrounded by four Tepigs.

"Mum? Dad?" The two Emboar looked up. My mum gasped and ran over, sweeping me into a huge hug. Rose grinned and looked around at my brothers and sisters as I was spun around and around.

"Oh, we missed you so much! How have you been?" I grinned and snuggled into my mother's arms.

"Oh, I've been fine. My Trainer's really nice, and I've made some friends. Mum, Dad, meet Rose." Rose waved at them, which they returned. Mum set me down, and I was immediately swarmed by my siblings.

"Wow! You look really tough!" I laughed at my littlest brother, who had grown a lot.

"Well, I've been battling a lot, so..." He was pushed aside by my younger sister, who was tough as nails and acted like it too.

"I bet we could still beat you, though. Take this!" My sister headbutted me, and I pretended to wince and fall over. I was immediately climbed on by all four of my brothers and sisters, laughing. Rose walked over and kneeled by my head.

"I hate to ruin the mood, but Hilda's probably wondering where we are. We should go." I nodded and stood, shaking my siblings off easily.

"Sorry guys, but I have to go. I'll see you another time." My mum and dad walked over and hugged me again, my siblings joining in. Rose stood back until Mum beckoned her in with a smile, and then she joined the group hug. I didn't want to let go, but I had to.

"Bye! Bye!" I grinned at my siblings and parents and walked out the door. The Daycare Couple let us go out, strangely, and then we were back in Route 3, breathing in the fresh air.

"We gotta get to Nacrene. Hilda's probably worried sick." I nodded and started running, Rose not far behind. We were almost at the gate when two Patrat popped out of the grass.

"Hello, you two. Lost your Trainer? Eh heh heh." I really didn't like their tone, so I stepped forward to try and get away. One of them fixed their eyes with Rose's.

"Stop...running." I turned to look at Rose, who was talking very strangely. A quick glance was enough to figure it out. Rose had been hypnotised by the Patrat!

"Oh, you'll pay for that. You'll pay dearly." The Patrat laughed and stood either side of me. Rose lurched forward to stand in front of me. With a hiss, she swung her arms wildly, attempting to attack me. I flung myself back, swearing.

"Rose! Don't attack! It's me!" Rose didn't seem to hear me, but the Patrat sure did. They were laughing wildly at my attempts to bring her back to her senses.

"Why you..." A lightbulb went on in my head. The Patrat were controlling Rose, so if I made them faint, Rose would stop! I ran over and started ramming my head against the first one, making sure there was some fire to bite into his skin. It didn't take long for me to make him faint. Rose stumbled, blinking at me.

"Wha..." The other Patrat locked eyes with her, and she started trying to attack me again. I went after the other one, quickly knocking him down and sending him scurrying with his fainted friend. Rose stopped and fell to the ground, fainted. I rushed over and grabbed her.

"No no no, Rose, wake up! Wake up, please!" A glow started to surround me, brightening every second.

"What...what's happen - ah!"

Flora and I waited by the gate for Nuri and Rose to come back.

"They should be here by now. Where are they?" Flora chirped, jumping up and down and pointing down the road. I squinted and saw two shadowy figures.

"Nuri? Rose?" The figures came closer, and I could finally see. It was a Pignite carrying an Audino.

"It's not them, Flora." Flora shook her head and ran over to them, shrieking. The Pignite spoke briefly, then ran over to me. I looked down at it.

"Are you...Nuri?" The Pokémon nodded, then held up the limp Audino in its hands.

"Oh no...Rose...c'mon, we have to get to a Pokémon Centre!" Nuri nodded, grunting, and grabbed her again. He ran down the path, Flora and I following as we quickly spotted the distinctive orange roof. Nuri dashed in, us not far behind. The nurse looked up with a startled expression as we pushed through the crowd, Nuri literally throwing Rose into the nurse's arms.

"I'm not sure what happened, they disappeared for a little bit, then Nuri carried Rose back like this..." The nurse nodded, and beckoned a Pokémon over, that resembled a little girl with green hair and a cute white tutu-like dress. She placed her hands above Rose's head and heart, closing her ruby eyes. A soft violet glow encompassed my Audino's limp body for a second, and the Pokémon opened her eyes.

"_The Audino was hypnotised by a group of Patrat."_ I jumped at the voice before realising it was the Pokémon's psychic voice in my mind. She smiled mysteriously at me and kept 'talking'. "_The hypnosis left suddenly, leaving her still stranded in the part of her mind that the Patrat left her conscious body. I can return her, but it will be risky. Are you willing to take the risk that she may not return?"_ I nodded, looking at Nuri. He nodded too, grunting. The Pokémon nodded, and waved her hands over Rose's immobile body. The glow surrounded her again, brighter and darker this time, a soothing indigo. Rose stirred briefly, eyelids flickering, but with a small sigh she became motionless.

"_It is worse than I feared. She will have to be here for much longer than I thought. It may take a day or more."_ I shot a worried glance at Rose's limp body, Nuri making a sad noise.

"I don't care how long it takes, I just want her well again." The Pokémon nodded and bathed her in the indigo light again. The nurse took me away, putting a blanket around my shoulders and rubbing my back.

I zoned out for the next few hours, just hearing the sounds of the Pokémon - that I later found out was a Kirlia, from a distant region - trying to bring Rose back to life. Nuri stayed by her side - he had evolved into a Pignite, much to my surprise - making concerned noises. The rest of my Pokémon stayed curled up by my side, trying to comfort me, but it wasn't working. Rose was in a bad way, and unless something happened and soon, she might...die.

I sat by Rose's side, sobbing quietly. Since I was a fire-type, any tears I shed immediately evaporated, but the pain was still there, making me shake.

"Rose...wake up, please..." The Kirlia, named Aura, smiled sadly at me. He - yes, he, Aura was one of the unfortunate male members of the Ralts evolution line - placed his hands over her aura points, sending a healing indigo glow into her limbs. I took her hand, a tear tracing a line over my cheek briefly before vanishing in a small curl of steam.

"Rose...please..." Aura sighed and removed his hands, the glow fading.

"She's stable for now. I'll leave you two alone." I nodded, another wisp of steam blowing off my face as I clutched her hand.

"Rose, we need you. I need you. Wake up. Come back." I lowered my head and let my lips brush hers, gently. With a sigh, I straightened again, steam pouring off my face.

"Oh, Rose..." A pink hand drifted up to my face, shocking me. I looked down and saw Rose's blue eyes staring into mine. She pulled my face down and kissed me again, tasting like Razz Berries. I was weeping so much now that the steam was as thick as soup, swirling around us.

"Rose, I thought I'd lost you..." Rose smiled and waved away the steam, eyes watering a little.

"I'm okay, Nuri." Then she blinked once and looked at me again, eyes travelling over me.

"Whoa...you evolved!" I grinned, showing off my new golden swirls and muscles.

"Yeah! I wonder what you'll look like when you evolve." Rose stiffened, biting her lip.

"Nuri...Audinos don't evolve. We always stay like this." I froze, blinking.

"Oh, I'm sorry...I thought all Pokémon evolve."

"No, not all of them." Rose smiled cheerfully, even if it was a little faked. "Besides, I like this form. It suits me." I grinned and waved away a little steam.

"Well...we should go get Hilda. We might as well leave now, since you're better." Rose nodded and stood up, leaning on me for support as we walked down the hallway.

I was broken out of my daze by a knocking at the door. I sighed and stood up, preparing myself to send away yet another concerned nurse.

"I'm fine, really, just go..." As the door swung open, I fell silent. Nuri was standing there, grinning largely, with Rose leaning on his shoulder. A tear welled up in the corner of my eye, and before I knew it, I grabbed both of them, sweeping them into my arms and crying freely, each teardrop that hit Nuri sizzling away into steam.

"Rose...Nuri...oh Arceus, I'm never leaving you guys alone again!" Nuri grunted, probably something along the lines of 'bitch please, I'll whoop everyone's asses next time they try and mess with us' judging by Rose's laughter. I spun them around, laughing, waking all of my other Pokémon up, Flora screeching loudly and jumping up onto my head.

After the tearful reunion, I took my party, now just Nuri, Flora, Bolt and Rose, from the Pokémon Centre. I started walking, admiring the warehouses and vast spaces, but still purposeful. We soon found our destination - the Nacrene Gym, which was also a library and a museum.

"Well guys, here we are. Ready to kick ass?" There was a laugh, a non-Pokémon one, from the shadows under the Gym. I peered in, not able to see anything.

"Oh, Hilda...still convinced that Pokémon truly wish to battle each other to the point of fainting? How much you still have to learn..." N stepped out of the shadows, smiling at me. He had three Pokémon with him this time, all smiling at him and chattering excitedly. I clutched at Nuri's hand, biting my lip.

"What do you want, N?" He smiled, flashing perfect white teeth. My heart twinged strangely, making me frown a little.

"Why, to free your Pokémon...and to show you how we can let Pokémon reach their full potential. Please, let me help them!" N leapt forward, grabbing my hand, much to my surprise. A blush rose to my cheeks as he stared into my eyes with soulful grey ones.

"Um...let's...I'll battle you." N's eyes lit up, making his entire face become lighter. He moved back, sending his three Pokémon, a Tympole, Pidove and a Timburr, in front of him. My own climbed down. I immediately noticed that N was at a severe disadvantage when it came to types, but he didn't seem to notice.

"Let me show you the true potential of Pokémon!" I grinned and started shouting commands.

Flora destroyed his Tympole, as did Bolt to his Pidove. Rose and Nuri teamed up to take out the Timburr, which took longer than it should have. Eventually, they were defeated, much to N's dismay.

"My Pokémon...my friends...see what you have done? This is what your battles do to my friends!" N's eyes had gone steely, and he turned to face me, face contorted into a snarl.

"My friends die for your ruthless, pointless battles! They are hurt, they bleed, they break their bones, they fight their own friends...for what?" I took his hand, ignoring the blush that it caused, and brushed away a lock of his green hair.

"N, Pokémon are my friends too. Do they seem unhappy to you?" N paused, shaking his head the slightest amount. "Pokémon can be our friends and still battle. Maybe you should stop and think about things, instead of seeing them in black and white."

"Maybe...maybe you're...no!" N pushed away, gasping for air. "You will never be right! Pokémon suffer from your pointless battles!" He sprang forward again, grabbing me and pushing me onto the ground. I ended up pinned underneath him, breathing heavily. N leaned forward, breathing hard. Our lips met, and somehow we started kissing, N sighing against my lips. It took me a few seconds to realise what I was doing, which made me freeze and kick him away. N landed with a thud. While he recovered, I got Flora to hold a vine against his throat.

"What are you doing?" My voice shook from anger as I marched forward and slapped him.

"_Never_ do that again. Now, take your Pokémon and go." N sighed and recalled his fainted Pokémon. He stood and walked away, hair blowing in the slight wind. I slumped against the Gym, heart racing.

If I had hated that kiss...why had it felt so good?

"Pignite nite!" I looked down at Nuri, who was tugging my hand. He pointed into the Gym.

"Yeah, you're right. Let's go beat the Gym." My Pokémon gathered around me, Flora climbing onto my shoulder, and we entered our second Gym.


End file.
